The Essence of Life
by AnHeiressofaSOLDIER
Summary: "By the time you finally come to see the good in humans, to love them, it'll be too late." His old Partner's words hadn't unnerved Joshua. So he never expected that Rhyme could make him doubt things. Rhyme changed his views. Most of all, she changed him.


**The Essence of Life**

"Life's little crossroads are often as simple as the pull of the trigger." This was said by an ashen haired boy uninterestedly; with a smirk he'd soon become known for, Yoshiya Kiryu used his psych to summon a gun to his hand. Without even flinching, the manipulative boy aimed at the current Composer and sealed his fate, as well as his own.

Joshua had it in his small heart to at least grace his old Partner with his presence as he died. Yes, the Composer that was currently losing his powers, and dying, had once been Joshua's Partner. The two had won their Game without much trouble at all. Joshua had gone back to the RG, and Cordis had taken up the mantle of Composer. Except... well, Joshua couldn't exactly leave it like that, could he? No, he'd felt more alive in the UG than he ever had in the RG. Cordis might have had been more intimidating physically, but it was Joshua that was gifted with Imagination and Soul. Joshua had known he hadn't been given the Sight for no reason; he was meant to rule over Shibuya, but it would have been suicide to try and erase his old Partner when he was just a measly ex-Player. That is, it would have been a suicide mission if his old Partner hadn't been distracted. Now Joshua had everything he'd ever wanted, and Cordis was just collateral damage. Life was good.

Still... Joshua couldn't help but feel a little unsure as the blonde boy (a darker blonde than what Joshua had) begun laughing hysterically. His blue eyes locked on Joshua's, and for a moment the Composer felt cut to the quick with the pure humanity shining in them. Joshua had never been very human. It, very well, might have been because he'd always been able to see the dead. Whenever he'd looked someone over with his unnatural violet eyes, he'd always seen them more as pawns than people. That didn't change now, but Joshua did feel a bit of... guilt. Was that the right emotion? He assumed he should have felt a little bad for destroying the Pact he'd made with the person that had kept him alive, but how could he? Especially when he hadn't wanted to live another day. Among the dead was where Joshua was meant to be, and that was where he'd always stay. So, why, then was Cordis' expression making him uneasy?

"Oh, Joshua. You never think with your heart, do you? I've only been Composer for a short time and already the Music has drawn me mad. How long do you expect to last? Especially when you already don't see any good in humanity? Especially since you just killed one of the best people Shibuya had to offer?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Cordis," Joshua said flatly, as he crossed his arms over his chest irritated. However, he didn't want to give the person he'd just killed in cold blood the satisfaction of seeing him riled. No, he was going to have to shut his emotions off soon enough. Picking up the gun, and cleaning his fingerprints off of it (with a tissue he'd summoned with his phone), Joshua regarded Cordis in a bored manner. "That's where I succeed, old friend. I don't concern myself over frivolous affairs. I can make Shibuya one of the most functional UGs without human emotions getting in the way. I can give Shibuya what it needs. You needn't worry. All too soon, the Music will be mine to worry about."

It already was, actually. It rang off the walls of the Dead God's Pad to a symphony Joshua had heard bits and pieces of his entire life. Suddenly, it all made sense. He could see how the alive, dead, and even those on the HG all fit together. It was a beautiful thing, and the notes that were off could be easily fixed. But it would be cruel to say such a thing to someone Joshua had once trusted his life with. Cordis had always been... overly sensitive. As if rebelling against Joshua's view of him, the dying boy turned to face Joshua with the most serious expression Yoshiya had ever seen on him. "That's your curse, Joshua. Anyone else in this seat would have loved humanity until they couldn't stand it anymore, but the death of your Soul will be the opposite. You already hate those alive, as you've been more like the dead all your existence. You resent them, Joshua. By the time you finally come to see the good in them, to love them- it'll be-"

Whatever Cordis meant to say next never got spoken. The transformation was complete: Cordis was gone, and Joshua now had all the powers of a God. He was capable of anything now; his form even seemed to mirror such a notion, with its massive size and amount of Light streaming for it. He had no need to ever concern himself with Cordis, or anyone unworthy again, but he still couldn't help but look at him distastefully. It was obvious what he'd been about to say. Joshua wasn't a fool. "It'll be too late," Cordis had been about to tell him. What a bother. What did he need with human weakness? Cordis' human heart had just led him to be outwitted and destroyed, after all.

Even with his beliefs firmly in tact, Joshua's first day as Composer had led to dark clouds rolling over Shibuya. His heart was at ease, but as always, his mind wasn't. Was it possible that fool Cordis had noticed something Joshua had overlooked? The chances of that were slim, but Joshua only played games when he knew he'd win. Had he lost at something before he'd even had a chance to dominate at it?

...

Oh, how cute! Raimu really thought that leaving pennies heads up would give people luck? It was a ridiculous notion, of course. Why she even had American money, Joshua didn't know. If it had been anyone else, Joshua would have seen fit to tell them to act to make their own lives better, but as Rhyme was only trying to help benefit other people… Well, Joshua could let her have her fun for now. She was quite entertaining to watch. Her values truly clashed with his, but for some reason it added to her charm. He'd never met anyone as old as her that held onto such hope. Maybe that wasn't entirely true, but Joshua wasn't going to think about that.

Switching Planes, the Composer of Shibuya stood directly behind Rhyme. Shooting his arms forward, he pulled her back so her body was flush against his. Covering her mouth so she couldn't scream, Joshua whispered rather amusedly, "It seems you've succeeded in giving others luck, but I'm afraid it was the luck you had, dear."

As soon as he'd spoken, Joshua could feel her lips turn up into a smile against his palm. Joshua sighed aggravated. The girl was much too trusting. After all, if it had been anyone else, she could have been long dead by now. And it wasn't in her best interest to trust him, either. He still wasn't quite sure he wanted to leave Shibuya alone, but now it was more for fools like Rhyme. The place should be destroyed if it was full of people that wouldn't even act to protect themselves. What was worse was most people would blame others for their own faults. Not Rhyme, though. And that put her in Joshua's good book even if he did despise her naivety. He wouldn't tell the girl this, though. He still held onto the manners his mother and father had raised him with.

Releasing Rhyme, Joshua grabbed onto one of her hands. "Do you care to accompany me to 104, Raimu?"

She'd say yes, he knew. It would be rude if she didn't. And Rhyme didn't know how to disappoint people, even if it put her in a situation she didn't want to be in. For instance, she should have been practicing for her choir concert later in the evening, but... "Sure, Josh. I have to be home in a half an hour, but I think my parents said that loosely. I should have time to-"

To be quite honest, Joshua didn't care at all about her mundane little life. What he really wanted to know about was her little head. He had thought that being able to read her mind, would have allowed him to understand the odd girl, but no dice. Maybe Rhyme was a mystery even unto herself. Either that or she had very unintelligent thoughts, but Joshua didn't actually believe that. She was well learned, and often seemed to be one of the few people in Shibuya that could keep up with his own inspired genius. "Why do you have American money, Raimu?"

Rhyme clapped a hand over her mouth. She seemed surprised that Joshua knew about what she'd been doing, but that was silly. She knew very well that he could read her mind if he so wished. Not that he wanted to, of course. She was too happy all the time. It was sickening. How could anyone bear to be content, let alone happy, when surrounded by such poisonous people? Sometimes Joshua wondered if Rhyme had found a way to block her thoughts form him by putting false ideas in front of them. But that wasn't true at all. It was obvious by how she was so eager while looking at everyone at the statue of Hachiko. At least for that Joshua knew what the small girl was thinking. "Trying to see who's forming Pacts in the UG?" Joshua asked her, as he pulled her to a stop with him. He moved to stand in front of her, but it wasn't easy to gauge Rhyme's expression when she kept turning away from him. Could it be that she sensed what he was doing?

It seemed so. "What question do you want answered first?" Rhyme said skittishly. She didn't meet his eyes, and took up walking again, and Joshua had the odd feeling he'd struck a nerve. At least she'd found it in her to hold onto his hand again. Not that he actually wanted her to, but it wouldn't exactly look good if he lost Rhyme in his own city. Why were there so many people at Hachiko today, anyway? There probably was going to be a lot of Noise for the people in his Game to fight, but at the moment Joshua had decided to try and tune out the UG. It was, surprisingly, not unpleasant.

"You can't save them all," Joshua told Rhyme, as he'd finally guessed what she was thinking. "If a bomb struck this place, they'd all be in the UG. You wouldn't be able to stop it, Rhyme. Not even with your strong Imagination and Soul. You're only human, after all. You can't control anything. Your life is only a blimp on the grand scheme of things."

"And yet Shibuya's only Composer has taken a particular interest in me. You also didn't include me in your hypothetical thought, Josh. But I don't think it was all too hypothetical, was it? You can't destroy Shibuya and save me. You'd have to-"

"Shove you under the proverbial bus, I'm aware. And I would. Don't think you can profile me, Rhyme. You have intrigued me, but you mean as little to me as the rest of this worthless city."

Joshua looked at Rhyme from the corner of his eye then. He had thought she'd lash out at him, but the young girl did no such thing. Instead, she pulled out the pennies she had left over and handed one (heads up) to the violet-eyed boy. For a moment, Joshua could only stare at her in shock. Even in knowing her mind and Soul, he didn't understand. At least, he didn't until Rhyme guided his fist to close around the worthless bit of money. "Then I guess all I can hope is for luck, Joshua. At least for Shibuya. And you have all the power over Shibuya, so..."

"So you think you understand things better than me." The Composer said this, as he put a hand to his head and looked at Rhyme shrewdly. "Now, let me guess. You gave some tourist directions, and to thank you he gave you the pennies. Except it's out of character for you to take things from people, Raimu. So why-"

"Because he insisted. Otherwise, he would have tried to give me yen. I didn't want anything, but I didn't want to fight. And now I'm here. I'm trying to make up for what I have that I don't deserve; I'm trying to give people luck."

Joshua thought the girl's strange words over for a moment. Her naïve qualities would be the death of her, he knew. And what did one cent pieces matter, anyway? Of course, if he told Rhyme such a thing she'd probably just say he was smart when it came to books, but foolish when he really needed to look. Or something like that. Joshua didn't have a knack for recycling famous phrases like she did. And, of course, the idea that the girl surpassed him in anyway set his teeth on edge.

So maybe he wanted to know about her mundane life, after all. Maybe he did care. If nothing else, it would keep him from being bored for the day. Yes, the way Shibuya's fangirl teens were appraising him and Rhyme was definitely flattering. And Joshua was nothing if not egocentric. "Rhyme, how would you feel about going on a date with me? You can explain all your odd musings, and I may or may not still my hand against Shibuya."

Girls were so ridiculous! So easily manipulated. Like the ones that were still eavesdropping had half convinced themselves they were in love with him for being with such a boyish girl like Rhyme. It was utterly ridiculous. It was also ridiculous that he knew Rhyme would comply even when she hadn't at first agreed on a date. She was too noble. She valued people too much, and would do whatever she could to make sure Shibuya was safe. The exact time she should have been running away from such a fearsome character, she was snuggling up to him. She wasn't worth his time. He would learn what he needed to from her, and the Composer would be satisfied when he realized it was, in the end, useless. He wouldn't let anyone ever think they had the upper hand on him.

But, then again, the smiling Rhyme would never be one to try and best Joshua. And she had enough power in the UG she very well could. Joshua feared her kindness much more than he would viciousness. Goodness was unknown to him. She was an anomaly amongst the rest of Shibuya, but perhaps the most irritating thing was that Joshua needed to make people more like her. Otherwise, they'd destroy each other long before he could destroy them. It wasn't exactly a comforting thought. He needed Rhyme, and to understand her, more than he had ever needed anything. Not even his dear proxy. Joshua had resolved never to need anything, and with that mindset, he knew he'd use her long before he ever needed her. Later, he'd have the same thought about how he'd need her before he ever loved her.

...

Rhyme didn't let go of Joshua's hand all the while they walked to Ramen Don. The Composer had only noticed this in the back of his mind. The forefront had been worried about what he'd tell his "friends" if they saw him on a date like encounter with Rhyme. That line of thinking had been exactly what made Joshua decide to take her to dinner rather than clothes shopping. Just the thought of their faces was priceless. Maybe he should talk to Sanae about making phones that could take pictures of alternate realities. He was _dying_ to see what everyone's reaction to him with helpless Rhyme would be. But judging by Rhyme's dismissal of him, Joshua was willing to bet she wasn't as eager to test the scenario. She settled herself down at the table they'd been provided, and fiddled with her hands uncomfortably. She hid her unease by looking at her menu, but it was still very obvious.

Smiling like the Cheshire Cat, Joshua reached across the table and snatched Rhyme's menu away from her. "I think I can easily recommend the best curry, Rhyme. You needn't distract yourself from our stimulating conversation." Just as he said this, the two were brought glasses of iced tea. Joshua indicated with his hand that Rhyme should drink (he was ever the gracious host, after all), but Rhyme pushed her drink away with a shake of her head.

"Please don't play games with me, Joshua," Rhyme said as she took to pulling at a stray string hanging from her black beanie. It was oh so obvious to the Composer that she was purposefully avoiding his gaze, but he'd give her points for sounding sure when she spoke. "You don't want me to eat. All you want is to talk to me. You only brought me here so I wouldn't be alone with you. So I wouldn't be uncomfortable."

The smile he'd been wearing turned into a frown, and Joshua could feel his eyes tilting downward as well. She was no fun. If she couldn't talk in circles like him, maybe she wasn't as well versed as he had thought. At least not as interesting. Still, he'd taken time out of his busy schedule to talk to the girl, so Joshua was going to do just that. Even if Rhyme was boring beyond belief. "You make it sound like I care about your comfort," Joshua said pleasantly, but with a real threat beneath his tone. "I thought we established what I was like, Raimu. I could have talked to you anyway I wanted t-"

"And yet here we are. You knew I would want to come here. You read my mind, didn't you? You must care more than you think." She was looking everywhere but at him now, and Joshua's irritation at the stupid girl was growing with each nervous gesture she made. Who did she think she was? First interrupting him, and making such judgments? She really was a silly little girl. He could have destroyed his own Reapers—that he'd allowed to become such—for even suggesting-. Let alone a girl that had lost his Game. Why had he allowed her to come back, anyway? It gave him a bad record.

"Tell me why you think I should share Shibuya, Rhyme."

To her credit, Rhyme didn't give any indication that the obvious test scared her. Though it very well should have. Many had thought him crazy for betting Shibuya's life expectancy on an unstable emo kid, but clearly those people had never known him to bet his city's safety on what a thirteen-year-old girl might say over dinner. Any other day, he would have told the HG his heart had stopped beating long ago and that he had no need to feel with it. But he hadn't been expecting the answer Rhyme would give him.

"Because you're one of us," Rhyme said as she finally looked into the eyes of her friend's killer. The boy that was planning genocide at the very moment. Rhyme's blue eyes—so trusting, so forgiving—stirred something in Joshua then. For a moment, he could imagine it was Cordis looking at him again. Cordis looking at Joshua, of all people, with sympathy as he died. Cordis suggesting he knew something Joshua didn't. It was preposterous! And at once, Joshua wanted his perfect gun back again. Though it hadn't been perfect, had it? By all accounts, it seemed like it hadn't succeeded in killing Cordis. His very Soul seemed to be scanning Joshua at the very moment. Joshua itched to destroy Cordis once and for all. Every shed of his own humanity.

But he couldn't. He couldn't when in his world, the world he valued more than anything, only functioned through the bonds of others. When Rhyme was so easily pointing out the clinks in his armor. Not that he'd allow her to realize what she'd done. Putting a hand under his chin, Joshua made it to look like he was in deep thought. Truthfully, he was fighting back all the things he wished to say to the maddening girl. His Soul was more of a mess than Neku's had been. And unlike Neku, Joshua knew his always had been, and always would be. And not even Rhyme's pure dreams, which he still held onto, could save him from that. "That's irrelevant," Joshua finally settled on telling her. "If that's the case, Angels should be more dominant in our lives. They were once human, too. And I lost my humanity too long ago to care about it. To care about any of you."

"No, Joshua," Rhyme said disturbingly, as she reached her hand across the table and squeezed his. "You misunderstood. I know you're not like us anymore, but the fact you aren't proves you still have ties to your humanity. You're rebelling against a life you didn't want. You're feeling uncaring and malicious, but those are still feelings. You have the choice to do what you want to Joshua, but what else besides humans have choices like that? You have to spare us because you are us." Perhaps the most disturbing thing about it all was that Joshua could actually see what she was saying. He may have felt things differently, but he was still feeling them. Like Rhyme's hand on his own. It wasn't exactly pleasant, but he didn't mind it, either. It was tolerable. All his life things had been tolerable. They'd never been enjoyable. And that discretion made Joshua realize what was coming, but he would stop it before it did. Or at the very least, he would choose to end it himself.

Pulling out said gun, he angled it at Rhyme's head. The girl didn't even flinch when the metal came in contact with her head. And Joshua suddenly realized he didn't find her goodness annoying anymore. He simply found it as Raimu. There was no Rhyme if there was no pureness of heart, and vice versa. He found he almost did want to destroy her, but if only to have her in his own world. Anywhere else and their future was unsafe, but it was only when she was alive that he felt life himself. "What would you do, Rhyme, if I decided to go 'bang, bang' and take your life away?"

The last part came out sing-songy, and Joshua was glad for it. He had thought it might come out like one of her proverbs, and he simply couldn't have had that. Rhyme might have been purity, but Joshua was Yoshiya Kiryu and no one else.

"Well, seeing as how no one's reacting to the gun at my head, there's a chance I'm already in the UG. In which case I might already be dead. But I'd still believe in your humanity, Joshua. It would have been my fault, anyway. You don't know how to deal with human emotions. If I resurrected them in you-"

"It would be the end of us both," Joshua didn't say it, but he knew it was true. Rhyme was the god-forsaken curse Cordis had told him about. Joshua wanted her, but it was too late. Too late because he'd become too greedy. He wanted the life she led for himself, but to kill her would be to destroy that life. Joshua didn't know how to deal with things that didn't add up in the UG. And he didn't want to. So he left Rhyme without even a word. He paid off Ken Doi for going along with the "prank" he'd played on Rhyme, and he allowed Rhyme to think she was in the UG for a bit. It served her right. Why did she have the ability to bring up things he hadn't thought about since he'd died? If Rhyme had died before he had been Composer everything would have been fine. If only...

But was fine really the "life" he'd thrown everything away to obtain? Really the only thing he'd obtained with it all had been the ability to become a harbinger of evil. In the end, Joshua was still unaware of the journey he himself wanted.

...

That "date" ended up being the first of many. By the time Rhyme had turned eighteen, the duo had had every in and out that came with having a significant other. Not that Joshua saw Rhyme as anything equal to that, but he'd come to realize love was an emotion every living person would have to dabble in once in their life. And since he'd thrown his life away, as if it were garbage, he assumed it made sense that he was growing an... affection for the girl at the worst time possible. It was a bad time because he'd burnt too many bridges, and he had more than one enemy hell-bent on his destruction.

For instance, there were days when Joshua wondered if he'd only chosen Rhyme to get under his little Hachiko group's skin. Especially Neku's. If there was one person that regretted her erasure via shark Noise more than Beat, it was Neku. Maybe he didn't want his Shiki to have more reason to view him as inhuman. Yes, Neku had taken up the mantle of surrogate brother very fast. But the thought only made Joshua grin wickedly from ear to ear. Neku had pulled him aside one day to discuss Rhyme. It was clear the Sakuraba boy hadn't thought Joshua could easily turn it around on him.

"Come now, Neku," Joshua said with only a bit of malicious intent behind his words (he just wasn't feeling it today). "You worry too much about Rhyme. You've taken to being her protector much to how I took to being Composer." It wasn't lost to Joshua that he was standing near the Statue of Hachiko, but it was only a ways away from where he'd stood with Sanae and watched the group come together post-Game. It was also where he'd come to his understanding with Rhyme. Yoshiya Kiryu was always in the same place. He never changed, and for the day he wished he could know what it was like. Even when he was human, he'd never noticed the change. Mainly because the days had passed in a meaningless blur. What would it have meant to be human, but have time mean something? To have the most important moments stand still: like this one.

Neku didn't say anything to Joshua's assessment, but Joshua's face didn't betray his surprise. Even on an off day he'd pretty much been baiting Neku with his comparing him to the role of Composer. Neku, clearly, despised him. He also despised the Composer. On even more off days, Joshua would wonder which order that went in. His ability to not care had slowly been stripped away. And if he was being honest with himself, he knew why. How was it possible to be involved with Rhyme and not see how much a new day meant to her? Each day was a chance for her to begin anew. To help people. To look for the dreams he'd robbed her of. He'd have to be a fool to not notice time with Raimu. The girl was exactly the reason he'd spared Shibuya. He'd loved her for a year now, at least. Even if he didn't want to admit it to himself.

And Neku... Neku hadn't been chosen as Joshua's proxy for no reason. "You love her," Neku said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Maybe to him it was. Neku had always been intuitive, and he understood people in a way Joshua knew he never would. Ironically it had been Neku's ability to "get people" that had originally forced him to hate them. Or maybe he'd just been sad. Sad like Joshua was now. There was certainly a sadness in Neku's comment. And Joshua was severely resisting the urge to summon a Light Beam with his cell phone and kill the annoying kid, and his too correct answers. "But you destroy everything you touch, Joshua. That's your curse. You don't even have to try. And even though you're my friend... I can't allow you to hurt Rhyme."

It was only when Joshua giggled his trademark laugh that he truly realized all that had transpired. More than that, he realized how hollow he'd become. For being so "alive" why did he feel deader than ever? "I know that, Neku," Joshua said with the most sincerity he'd ever afforded anyone save for Raimu. "How can I not know I'm the death of everything when she's the very essence of life?"

Joshua's only answer was the cold wind whipping against his face. It was a punishment, he assumed. He'd spent too much time in the UG. He'd forgotten what it was like to feel the elements. As the cold wind and rain played at his emotions, Joshua thought he understood why Shibuya had had its coldest winter in recorded history. He knew exactly how it was going to end, too. How it had to end. The gun he'd used to kill Cordis and Neku rested heavily in his pocket, but it weighed him down the most for he had once threatened Rhyme with it. And such a thing just wasn't tolerable. Not even by the Grim Reaper himself.

...

_"Joshua, I think you knew Neku would change. That he'd give you reason to want to spare Shibuya. And through that small change, there was a ripple affect and Shibuya got better. I know that's what you'd always wanted."_

Rhyme smiled sadly as the words she'd never said to Joshua spun around in her head. Tears streamed down her eyes, as she kneeled over his non-existent funeral. Non-existent because he had no body, and had been in the UG too long for anyone to really remember him. He'd erased himself with the very pistol he'd robbed so many lives with. It had taken him many years to actually obtain his own life, how many Rhyme didn't even know. She'd never know now, but everything had come full circle. Joshua had died to protect Rhyme, but she was furious at him for it. Because…

"I know, Joshua. I know that you were only with me to destroy yourself. You put yourself in the worst situations imaginable. You think you had to for all you'd done, but you never realized that was why you did it. You felt more than anyone, Josh. You had to. All of Shibuya's emotions on your once frail ones… That's why you had to destroy your own happiness. It was too much for you."

As Rhyme looked at an identical gun to the one Joshua had, she heard words whispered in her head. "_Life's little crossroads are often as simple as the pull of the trigger_." Except that wasn't the case at all. It hadn't solved anything. She'd lost Joshua right when he'd become the person she'd wanted to meet most. That had been why she'd surrounded herself with him. It was her most guarded secret. Why she risked so much. Why she screwed herself over so many times. Joshua had been her biggest obstacle. The hardest person to save. The hardest person to love. For all she thought she'd known about the heart, Rhyme had never thought she'd fall in love with Joshua. But she had. She loved him, and she knew she always would. And when she became Composer someday, she would use her powers to bring him back. There had to be a way. She would sacrifice everything.

Suddenly, she realized she'd be just the same as him. She would be searching for life, but in a different way. The way that mattered most. The wind twirled around her, and Rhyme found she couldn't even feel its bitter chill. She'd stopped feeling at all. And when that other Composer came after her, she knew why.

Joshua's voice, real this time, caressed her ears like Music. It was exactly that, and Rhyme wrapped it around herself like a cocoon. The thoughts that had always been out of Rhyme's reach were now in her grasp. "_It's so loud inside my head. With words I should have said. As I drown in my regrets, I can't take back the words I never said."_

They were alike in that way, then. Joshua's quote was like a dream to Rhyme. He finally saw things her way. He found his hope in others' words. And in that, Rhyme found her dreams again. She held onto Joshua and she never let go.

Rhyme laughed without humor, and her eyes seemed to darken as she pulled the trigger and ended the life of the person that had ruined her life. "Have fun, Sholey," she said bitterly. Rhyme now had all the powers of a God. She was capable of anything now. She flipped her hair over her shoulder, and returned her attention to more trifling matters.

**Author's Note: First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DANI! I hope you like this! I love you so much, dearest; I hope this year is full of magnificent moments for you. And once again, I have to thank you for getting me into Joshyme. Hahaha. **

**So, this story kind of seems rushed. I actually really like it, but… I don't know. It was only supposed to be a one-shot, and it was getting long, so I guess it had to go like this. Hmm…**

**I don't know how I feel about the ending. I had a real problem choosing it. I originally wrote a different one, and though I like this one better… it just sort of bothers me. IDK why. Maybe it's because I'm usually a happy ending gal. But I tried to make this with the "creepy" Joshua you like, Dani (I probably failed). So I guess it makes sense that it ended that way. **

**I do like a darker Joshyme. They would have to overcome a LOT, but I feel like Saro having written this. LOL. I think she's written many stories similar to this. Maybe that's where I got the idea?**

**So, the ending. Basically one Composer wanted to kill Rhyme because Josh did something bad to her. She wanted to get back at him. So Josh killed himself hoping it would stop her, but it didn't. However, Rhyme became Composer (Joshua made it that way) so she killed Sholey, and she even became Composer of her domain, too. I think. What really matters is that she's going to bring Joshua back. Yay! And then they can be together.**

**Even though Joshua, obviously, rubbed off on Rhyme. She's changed somewhat, so things will be a bit different. Gosh the ending with her acting like Joshua was creepy! But I actually sort of liked it… **

**Also, don't get mad at me for how Rhyme became Composer. I'm totally stealing Saro's idea (Sorry!), but if Joshua killed himself before someone else could, I think it makes sense he could decide who would become the next Composer. He did it to save her just in case Sholey wouldn't back down (which she didn't). And Rhyme is, in fact, still alive. Mainly because there are people that actually think Joshua is alive in canon. If he can be the Composer while being alive, so can Rhyme.**

**Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this. Especially you, Dani! –Hugs- You're the best!**

**But I actually really enjoyed writing this. I think my Muse is back. And it's soooooooo much better than my first Joshyme. I feel like the more I write Joshua, the more in-character he is. I think. **

**And, yes, I did steal the Master's son's name in White Knight. I couldn't think of one for the first Composer. And I like it as another tie back to WK. But it's ironic. I think Angel gave you that name for him because you couldn't think of one, right Dani? Well, now that I'm using it, it's kind of ironic, and seems to have come full circle. **

**Shutting up now!**

**-Shanna**


End file.
